The Price of Blood
by Anshu
Summary: "What is morality? Where is it written that the definition of your morality should be same as mine? Do you and I live the same life? Do we share the same circumstances? Do we share the same consequences? Do we feel pain, anger, hurt, rejection and aggression on a similar wavelength? Do we love and hate alike? Do you breathe with the equal urgency as I do? If not...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

(But the plotline-idea is mine. © Anshu. 2nd September 2013.)

* * *

On 6th March 2005, Joey found his father mysteriously killed in a car accident. Three months later, Serenity disappeared. Joey, Tristan, and Mai left Domino to search for her.

On 6th June 2006, a year after her disappearance, the trio were found dead. Their dismembered bodies, buried in a shallow grave, some 90 miles away from the city, near the tomb of one Mr. Ravenswood. They had been neatly cut into sixteen pieces, each. Their respective heads shaved and encased in concrete.

The trio were discovered when Domino city council had demolished the old tombs in the cemetery to make space for new burials. Their discovery was met with a dramatic outbreak. Soon the policemen, the forensic, and the media were all over the place. The remainder of the gang had rushed in for the identification. At the devastating sight, Yugi had howled and hit the ground, half-crying, half-sobbing. Téa had stood in utter shock, voiceless and shaken to her core. Her cup of sorrow was not yet full. Initially, she had refused to acknowledge the butchery and identify the severed corpses as her friends. But her denial soon evaporated when Seto hugged her close.

He wiped her tears, and took her home.

Two months after their proper burial, Téa tried to re-launch the murder investigation. But the police denied her. They said that it was too late to determine the cause of the deaths.


	2. Chapter 2

**_7 years later... _Kaiba Manor_. _**

"Why is it pitch black in here? Are we saving light bills?"

"The lights are on, Téa. Even your bedside lamp."

"Do I see darkness where there is light?"

Seto sighed, discarding his jacket. In an attempt to avoid the conflict, he sidestepped her question. He knew a senseless battle when he saw one. Téa seemed crankier than usual. A week ago, she had returned from a work related trip to Moscow. Since then, she hadn't been herself.

"You think I'm mad?"

"I don't." Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. Ignoring her bizarre temper, he removed his tie, and gave his briefcase to an approaching staff. "I was merely stating that the entire room is well lit."

A maid offered him a glass of water. Which he silently took with a grateful nod, his eyes landed on the grandfather clock hung on one of the walls of their bedroom. It was sharp seven in the evening. He was home early after another hectic, stressful, but productive day at work.

His wife was severely ill. And there was nothing more important to him than her health.

"You're quiet. Are you troubled? Tough day at work?"

"No."

"Then am I your personal entertainer? Why are you making me talk?"

An amused smile cut across the angled planes of his face. But it soon disappeared as Téa stilled. A hint of despair flicked through her delicate features. She became silent... self-conscious. For few seconds, she said nothing. Her eyes became dull. Her shoulders sagged. Her pulse rate dropped. Seto narrowed his eyes, and fixed her with a pointed look. But she continued to stare in the space, zoned out, unaware of his presence, as if solving a cosmic problem.

"Téa..."

"I see them. The black snakes. Everywhere. All around me. Turn on the lights, Seto. They're freaking me out." She screamed, hugging the comforter against her breast. "Turn on the damn lights."

Seto felt his blood drained. Nervous dread feathered a path along his spine as he watched her another bout of insanity.

"I won't let them hurt you." Standing by the threshold, Mokuba choked back a guttural sob. His head sank lower, unable to see her unhinged. Seto eyed him sternly.

"Don't cry, Mokie. Come in. Come sit with me for a while."

With much difficulty, she raised herself on the bed. Mokuba rushed and helped her up. He placed some pillows behind her back for support.

"Tell me Seto what do you see? What do you see in the dark?"

"Nothing." He stood stiff, not a trace of emotion on his face. "I see nothing." But inside, he felt weak and helpless. He wasn't faring any better than Mokuba. "Go to sleep." A haunted smile came to his lips as he approached her bed-ridden form. Bending low, he kissed her, and swore. "You're burning up. You have fever?"

Seto instantly issued the orders to call for a doctor. Mokuba felt Téa's forehead. True to his words she was burning up.

"Look, she's bleeding." Mokuba pointed towards her right leg where a thick patch of blood stained the sheets. "Seto, check if there's any new eruption."

Seto cast aside the covers. As gently as he could, he scrutinised her leg, and found the source of her blood. The puncture wound on her right shinbone had opened up. The cut was deep, and a lot of pus was oozing through it, accumulating on the side.

"Téa, why didn't you say something?" Mokuba sounded angry.

"Sorry." She stammered. "I think I may be in pain. Terrible pain. This pain knows no pity."

A week ago, Téa had returned from Moscow with a broken leg. She didn't disclose anything about the nature of her accident. Keeping the details to her, but since her return, she had been extremely frustrated around Yugi, often refusing to see him. All his life, Seto had never seen her _this_ unstable. And together, they had been through some real tough times.

"Get some rest." Mokuba pleaded, holding her hand as Seto cleaned her wound.

"Can you please fix my head before you attend my leg? I feel hollow inside."

"Shut up, Gardner. I've had enough of your stupidity for one day."

"What are you guys sacred of?"

_I'm scared to lose you, you moron_. – Felt Seto.

"I'm scared of your pain, sis. You have no idea what its making you say."

"Get rid of it. Get rid of this vulnerability. It's making you weak. Weak can't survive in a cruel world. The solid ground is harsh. It's dictated by gravity, the pull. When you fall, ground offers no concession in pain. It doesn't see you as a boy or a girl. These are only human weaknesses. You fall, you break, you bleed. Nature knows no compassion. Nature doesn't discriminate. You know that, don't you Seto?"

Few seconds of awkward silence passed between them. The brothers exchanged worried looks.

A maid changed the sheets. Seto had lifted Téa in his arms. As if she were a doll, as gently as he could, he put her back on the clean bed, and sat on a nearby chair. Téa patted the empty space near her head, signalling Mokuba to sit. When he did, she took his hand in hers.

"Tell me honestly, do I hint of insanity?"

"No. You're just unwell. You're running high fever. And you're under the influence of strong drugs. "

A vague hope filled her insensible self. She stifled a sob and held on to his hand. Grasping the thread of his trust, and feeling a sense of belonging she hadn't felt since her return.

"I don't feel myself anymore. Have I disappeared?"

"No, Gardner. You're here." Seto issued in a low voice, getting tired of this melodrama. "I won't let you go. You're stuck with me. Now get some rest."

"Perhaps you're right, Mokie. I feel confused. These drugs play havoc on my system. They get in my blood and dry me up. I smell funny. Do I smell funny to you? Let your brother answer. He knows my natural body odour more than you do."

Mokuba blushed to the roots of his hair, and Seto burst into laughter. Even half-mad, he loved his crazy wife to bits.

Ten minutes later, the Kaiba family doctor arrived. He took her temperature, prescribed new medicines, ignored her protests, cleaned her wounds, and injected her with pain-killers and a mild sleep inducing drug. Consequentially, Téa fell asleep in a record time.

The doctor left them with new instructions. Mokuba retired to his room.

And Seto was finally alone with his wife in the privacy of their bedroom. He poured himself a large scotch. His thoughts turned to the strange course their life had taken this past week.

Seto Kaiba, twenty five years old, had been married to Téa Gardner, twenty four, for the last five years. Theirs was a workable marriage, and occasionally - a happy one.

Seto's work demanded late night hours. Téa believed in sleep anyhow. This made her an early riser, while he was hypotensive, and usually despised leaving the bed until 9:00 am. It was on rare occasions that they shared breakfast together. And even then, she avoided talking to his grouchy self. He just wasn't a morning person.

Téa knew there were aspects about her husband that were akin to madness. For starters, he was a demon for work. Having lived in a virtual world, he preferred the company of thunder thighs, and thunder pants, his old pal battle-ox, and designing frothing lizard lips, or decoding errors from an overgrown dragon software than her. And she let him. She knew her husband's priorities. He was a busy man. Managing a billion dollar empire wasn't an easy task. But Seto was incredibly intelligent. He could talk on any topic under the sun. He could also insult anyone on any topic under the sun.

Still, despite his busy schedules, and meetings abroad, she had laid the foundations of the new Kaiba family law. By demanding that they keep alternate Saturday nights, and every Sundays to themselves.

Since the trio's death, the gang had been on a roller-coaster ride, with many lows and little highs. Things were no longer fascinating or eventful in their world. In a tacit agreement, they all felt three parts dead. And in sharing the same misery, together, they had learned to laugh, cry, cherish, forget, and forgive somewhere. Even Seto had turned down the heat of his old Kaiba self a notch or two. It was compulsory that the Sunday brunch was to be held at Yugi's place. And the rest of the gang had to be present. Come what may!

Another reason, why Téa woke-up early, was because that was the only time she had to herself.

After that horrifying incident, she couldn't find it in herself to dance anymore. On some level, she repelled happiness or anything that remotely made her happy. So much so, she had succumbed to a major depression for a year. Somehow Seto and Yugi had pulled her out of it. Still, pursuing a dancing career, regardless of her friends' support, had been out of the question. After her post graduation from the Domino University, she took up the associate professor's job. A year later, she landed the professor's role at an elite university. She taught Political Science. The academics and her students occupied most of her working days.

Seto sighed, finishing his drink. He stood up, took a quick shower, and changed into comfortable pyjamas. Téa was fast asleep. She looked pale white, and deathly sick. Ignoring his unease on her behalf, he quietly slipped into the bed, and pulled her close. A second later, he threw off the covers and got up, swearing under his breath.

A maid rushed to his side at his beckoning. He ordered her to bring a set of nail cutter. Téa's overgrown nails were stained in blood. It didn't took him long to understand how her well bandaged, semi-healed wound opened up. But what he couldn't comprehend was - why?

Why would Téa inflict self-harm?

Was it a conscious decision? Or was it inspired by drugs?

What was pushing her to this fit of lunacy? It didn't make much sense. She had never displayed this kind of behaviour. To him, she was the fighter type. If something concerned her she voiced it out. She was someone who looked at the problem in a rational manner, and solved it. She valued life.

After cutting her nails clean, Seto wrapped her hands in soft cotton bandages. On some emotional level, it upset him that she didn't trust him enough to discuss her problem. But the realistic side of his mind knew that she was also the self-martyr type. She would have never burdened him with her dilemmas.

It hurt him again to see her cry. Lately, she had been crying a lot in her sleep. Wiping her tears, he kissed her cheeks. He stared at her gently heaving bosom, and slightly opened mouth. Curbing his heart's desire, he placed another gentle kiss on her forehead. Mindful of her leg, he gathered her close.

He had no doubt that something or someone was instigating her to impose this self-damage. But what and why?

'_This whole thing began since her return from Moscow.' _He knew he didn't have to look too far.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Denied.

Thank you - **the-hinotori, browneyes730, Lilshygrl25, Ayame11midori, sakura-blossom62, Secluded Sapphire, ahbuggrit, EmiTheInsane, fi13ns, syracusegrl, Distant Storm, Sessho-Kagome4ever, Redwings019, Judgemental Anubis, & xSapphirexRosesxFanx**.

* * *

"Where am I?"

Téa groaned.

'_What happened?' _

She woke up feeling wet and delirious with a sexual desire. Ignoring the pounding headache, she squint her tired eyes to the dimly lit room.

"Relax. I'm here. I have you."

Her anxiety cleared at his voice. But her hips jerked forward in response. Her back visibly relaxed against his chest. Even as it took her another minute to realize that they were both naked. They were stretched out in the spacious hot bubble bath, in the vicinity of their bathroom. And she was half-turned on because he had her legs spread apart, his digits teasing, caressing, and spearing the tender mound of flesh between her folds.

'_What the hell?' _With the regained conscious came vanity. Last evening, she recalled sleeping peacefully in their bed. So now - "How the heck did we end up here?"

"Around 3 in the morning, you had another nightmare." Seto provided, as his hand sought the swell of her breast.

He safely evaded the details that how she howled like a banshee. Or how overcome by a sudden fear, he had rolled out of the bed, and fell on the floor. Her earth-shattering shriek had resulted from a distressing dream. But she was loud and violent enough to wake the entire house. And that she had tried to clawed through her wounds again, in another attempt to inflict self-harm. But thanks to the previously wrapped bandages on her hand, she was unable to do so. In the resulting anger, her unconscious mind had directed its attack towards him. To calm her shivering, he had embraced her in his arms. But she was too far gone. So ten minutes ago, he had disrobed them, run the bath, carried her injured self, and tried to compose her through his kisses and touch.

Seto kissed her ear. He had his legs around her, while hers overlapped his. Her fractured right ankle, encased in a pink cast, along with the bandaged shinbone, looked dry and safe.

'_No wonder,'_ she thought. _'He wrapped it up in a waterproof covering.'_

"So you brought us here for a morning tryst? You couldn't pick a better location." She asked, unhappy at his ministrations. "And does this have to dangle like a shark's bait?" She pointed at her broken ankle in a stirrup, suspended at an odd angle in the air over the tub.

"You screamed like a demon possessed. I had to calm you."

"By giving tub-thumping a whole new meaning?"

Seto laughed, nuzzling her neck. Ignoring her jibe, he cupped her bottoms, and raised her rear. Her own reaction came hot and swift. Téa bit her lips, a moan nearly escaping her as she felt his hard arousal on her backside. Vaguely, she wondered how long it took him to calm her.

He shook when she grabbed his thigh and the other side of the tub using them as leverage. Lifting her weight just enough, she shuddered. The entire depth of her sheath felt the hot, wet rush of his shaft sinking in. Téa closed her eyes, savouring the feel of his girth, his roaming hands, the hot water, and her pain... exhilarating her senses tenfold. It had been a while since she felt him this erect and throbbing within her. Stretching further to accommodate him, she briefly remembered how it felt on their first night when her sheath was plundered and roughly spread by his invading member.

And with that, her mind went numb. So much so, she couldn't hear the music coming from the bathroom. She couldn't smell the sweetly steamed air that filled her senses. She couldn't recall when Seto lifted her and brought them to their bed. Wet as they were, they soaked the sheets. But she didn't bother if they were drenched and dripping with bubbles all around.

And she most definitely didn't care when Mokuba barged in on them, to check on her progress, with half the house-staff in tow.

She was lost to the pleasure of his lips on her skin. She needed him in her more than she needed the air. Right now, on some baser level, he was her rock, a guiding force, a temporary relief from the evil memories that plagued her. In an answer to her call, Seto drove in her deep and strong with powerful stroke of his hips. He kissed her open-mouthed with an angry urgency that rivalled hers. With every bit of stroke of his every thrust, he entered and then left her with a definite rhythm.

Téa felt the tension well up within them. Her nails dug into his shoulders, almost viciously, as she clung to him for the pleasure that were due to ride them. And soon enough, her hips undulated. Despite the pain and the exertion on her broken ankle, she clutched his shaft in, milking him for all its worth. She knew she was no match for the vigour with which he was pounding her. Yet, she was not the one to leave him do all the work.

She gave him back with all the strength she could muster.

**XXXXXXX**

**At the Kitchen...**

A red faced Mokuba sat in a complete silence.

Trying to nurse his shaky nerves, he finished his second cup of hot chocolate, and politely thanked the butler when the man refilled his cup for the third. Come morning, he needed therapy. Blue eyes knew he was scarred for life.

'_What were those idiots thinking?_' The explicit image of his brother in a compromising position flashed through his eyes. He winced as the hot liquid burned his lips.

Mokuba slammed his fist on the table. "Hello, there's a thing called - lock."

The butler standing behind him nodded sagely.

**XXXXXXX**

**An hour later...**

Seto moved Téa to the observatory on the roof.

Their bedroom was a mess. The bed and the sheets were soaked in the remnants of their previous spent. Despite feeling exhausted, Seto had taken a quick shower, changed, and assisted his wife with the same.

Now calm and thoroughly composed, the duo had left the staff to clean.

Besides, Téa loved being in this observatory. The place was warm and cosy and smelled of musk and cinnamon. It also contained a lavish king size bed. He had specially designed the place to meet her expectations. During their brief dating, Téa had once mentioned something about star gazing. The notion had struck to him. After their wedding, they had shared their first night here. This observatory was one of the many wedding gifts from him to her.

Depositing her on the bed, Seto examined her right leg. Agony choked him as he cautiously assessed her fracture. He propped her ankle up by several pillows to elevate the injured area. Then he checked the bandages on the punctured wound on her shinbone. Mercifully, they looked dry and intact.

A maid knocked and entered in with the refreshments. Her tattletale blush reminded Seto to have a word with Mokuba later. The maid kept her eyes on the floor as she placed the coffee and the warm milk on the table. About to leave, a brief flicker of worry passed over her. In reassurance, Téa graced her with a simple smile. She smiled back and left.

"Care to explain how you managed that?" Seto asked, as he handed her milk.

She took a small sip. "Fell off the stairs."

He ignored his coffee, folded his hands, and fixed her with a long and measuring look. She squirmed, sinking back in the bed, trying to avoid the pressure of his gaze. She could never lie better when he turned the full heat of his stare on her.

"Are you aware of your actions? Your silence is casting a shadow between us."

"Perhaps my silence refers to several other silences. Makes me wonder what 'several others' have to hide?"

"Despite your resolve, you know I'll find the truth." Nevertheless, he didn't dignify her accusation with a response. "What did you dream?"

"I don't remember." She lied.

"I won't judge you."

"Even if I said I married you for money?" – And here, light blue met the dark ones. Téa kept her drink on the side table, and prepared herself for the onslaught.

"That's supposed to hurt me?"

She looked at him unflinchingly. "Yes, Seto." She confessed. "I intend to hurt you..."

"I'll eagerly await the moment." But a bleak emptiness washed over him even as he said those words. He couldn't quite put a finger on that emotion burning in his chest. But it felt terribly close to fear. He wasn't afraid for his sake but rather for hers.

For few minutes, neither of the blue eyes spoke. A sticky, unwished silence settled between them.

Téa couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry, Seto. I don't know what I think anymore. Everything is different. It feels like I've lost a piece of myself."

With a thoughtful look, Seto enveloped her in his arms. He tucked her face into his shoulder, and gently rubbed the sides of her arm. Téa sighed contented. It was clear to him that his wife was going through existential crisis. But what he didn't know was why? A mere fracture couldn't trigger it.

'_Time to delve in deeper.'_ Making the mental note, he concentrated his efforts in making her sleep. She needed proper rest.

_But first..._ "This world is not black and white." He said, and felt her breath exploding from her lungs in a short uneven manner. Calming her panic. "It's not grey either. What you consider as negative, I may view as positive. It's just a matter of perception and opinion. It makes no difference if you say you married me for money as in oppose to marrying someone else for their good looks, kindness, or character. What you should understand is that these earnings are an extension of _me_. I've earned them through my hard work, determination, and talent. They're the product of _my_ intellectual execution. It's almost like saying that you married me for my brains. So there's no need for you to feel guilty or otherwise."

"But this world finds compassion and good character a more tangible reason..."

To hell with the world! "Téa, when you play at a certain social disadvantage, you are bound to be discriminated by those who are superior to you." He replied, assuaging her self-doubt. The worst thing during an existential crisis was low self-esteem and brimming self-doubts. "But like I said, I won't judge you. And now that you've stalled enough with a pointless discussion, I'd like to learn more about that horrible dream."

She didn't immediately answer. She couldn't. She simply didn't trust herself with words. But his patience overruled her insecurity.

"You're an arrogant man, Seto. But you're not your conceit. Somehow, I see that now. I think I understand you better. I've learned to see past your arrogance, anger, and jealousy. You were rational often aggressive. And because of that, you played offensive. But I was wrong then in calling you heartless. Even now, when I look back, I see that you had a heart. A heart shrivelled by bitterness. A heart that was dark with thorns and barbed fences around it. Back then, you didn't build relationships, you build fortresses... those high impenetrable walls to keep everyone away. But somehow, now I get it why you did what you did."

In a way, she was cursing her own naivety. Now that the world was no longer black and white or grey, her vision brightened at this Technicolor revelation. It was quite the eye-opener and frankly, she didn't know if she had it in her to survive this phase. The inner pain was too much. She needed an assurance, and an answer, a guideline... since he had walked the same path and emerged victorious. She wanted to know how he survived that pain.

A natural, beautiful smile broke through his worried countenance. "That's some compliment, Mrs. Kaiba."

Téa raised her head and looked at him. "I know you don't feel sorry for yourself. You're a strong, self-reliant, intelligent, and an incredibly powerful person. But even powerful people feel the void. So tell me Seto, when it gets downright to it, whom will _you_ call?"

Shock held him rigid. The previous fear flowed back in his veins. In her moment of vulnerability she was exposing his. He wanted to say that he would call for her. But that gesture denoted an underlying dependence. Seto wondered if he was ready to be dependent. The shrivelled, dark heart knew better. He was already reliant on her. Her bright smiles, the twinkle of her eyes, her cheeky attitude, and positivity and happiness gave him a reason to live. He couldn't imagine a life without her in it.

Regardless, he lied. "I won't call anyone. But if _someone_ calls me, I will respond." He meant if 'you' call me.

"Then we'll take one step at a time." If he had his pride, she had her self-respect.

"Does this imply that you trust me enough to share your dream?"

That had her pinned.

Was she ready to describe it? Would he understand? It was her personal fear, a recurring nightmare that she lived in every moment of despair.

As if sensing her discomfort, he pulled her close and took her mouth in a soft, sensual kiss.

"It's just a dream." He assured her. "Dreams have no power. Not unless you act on it. Think of it nothing more than a sequential trick played by a restless mind. Now tell me about it. What do you see in the dark?"

She looked him in the eye with an intensity that unnerved him.

"I'm running in an industrial area. I can't see who's chasing me because I'm too afraid to look back. It's all dark and gloomy. I can't see anything, and then suddenly I trip into a big water tub. Soaked to the skin, I pass out. But when I regain senses, I see light. And I feel that it's not water that I've fallen in. I'm in a pool of blood. I'm drenched. And then I look up and I see snakes raining on me from the roof. All kind of snakes, live ones and dead ones... their skins and skeletons and bones and ashes is everywhere. And I'm covered from head to toe in them. They hiss and slither around me. But they don't bite. They don't harm me. I want out but I can't leave them. They don't let me go." – They won't let me go.

"How does it end?"

"I don't know. I haven't reached an end. I always wake up screaming."


End file.
